Well, we know where he came from, but here is the breeder site. - LOVEOURDOGS.COM It looks like they breed Shichons as well as other designer breeds.

Here is what the site says about Shichons:

Shichon (Shih Tzu/Bichon)

Shichon is a Shih Tzu/ Bichon mix. The breed also referred to as Teddy Bears or Zuchon. They are playful and lively, but also very gentle and calm. The temperament is that of a very gentle, self-assured and well mannered dog. The Shichon is friendly with everyone and love to just sit near you. The Shichon is Hypoallergenic, making them great for allergy suffers. They enjoy baths and are easy to groom. They are the ultimate lap dog!

Its so true!

They also have Puggles and Shorkes (Shih Tzu/Yorkie) - very very cute, check out the site and the pictures! They serve the Chicago Area.

Monday, January 21, 2008

This was the coldest weekend in January so far this year. As January is Chicago's coldest month, and it gets pretty cold here, it was a COLD one. We had temperatures drop to -18F (feels like) and -5 Fahrenheit its pretty cold. And the dog walking gets pretty short.

I have observed a peculiar thing in our puppy. When taken out first day of the cold spell, after a few minutes he started lifting his paws and holding them up. He actually looked like his paws were freezing! Of course this is unconfirmed but its strange.

Now I have heard or read somewhere that Huskies and big sled dogs don't have feeling in the tips of their paws and they can survive the deep freeze without feeling it. Unfortunately our dog is a shichon (also called a Zuchon) a descendant of the ShiTzu and a Bichon. I doubt that his ancestors had developed this survival component.

So until it warms up to at least to 15 F degrees we will have to make our potty outings breef. Interestingly he has started picking up the speed in which he decides to get his business done. There is a bright side to taking the dog out in blistery and bitter cold of the winter.